American Adventure
Located on the outskirts of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England, the American Adventure theme park stood on the 350 acre plot which was previously home to Britannia Park. Opening After the closure of Britannia Park in 1985, Park Hall Leisure, lead by John Rigby, and backed by Granada media, proposed plans for a new cowboys vs natives themed park, and managed to negotiate a new 100 year lease on the plot. In 1987 the American Adventure theme park opened it's gates for the first time. Original attractions at the park included the runaway mine train and buffalo stampede coasters, the high sierra ferris wheel, Balloon ride, the Yankee clipper pirate ship and the Cherokee falls log flume as well as a number of smaller rides and attractions. The following season also saw the addition of the Nightmare Niagra rapids ride. Granada and Ventureworld In 1988 Granada took over the ownership of the park, and in 1989 the park began to feature rides and attractions which were not necessarily in keeping with the parks original cowboy's and Indians theme. A further £4 million was spent on a new area called Space Port USA. This new area featured a new Vekoma Boomerang coaster known as the Missile. This new coaster was purchased in the hopes of attracting new visitors to the park, and was subsequently voted to be the best roller coaster in the country. In 1993 Granada added a third drop to the Cherokee falls, making it the tallest log flume in the UK, and it's name was changed to Nightmare Niagra, and in 1995, Granada made their final investment in the park and a new double looping roller coaster was installed. At the time this new coaster was known as Gladiators (after the ITV show), but it has since been known as the Iron Wolf, and Sky Looper during it's time at the park. Finally in 1997, Granada announced that they wished to leave the theme park industry, and ownership of the park was handed over to Ventureworld, headed by Alton Towers former developer, John Broome. Ventureworld changed the name of the park to American Adventure World for the 1997 season, with the hopes of eventually phasing out the American theme and renaming the park simply Adventure World in 1999, but upon John Broome leaving the park, the name reverted back to American Adventure. Closure 1998 saw the park handed over for the final time. This time to THG Group who also owned Pontin's as well as many other attractions. Under THG's ownership, large sections of the park were closed off to the public, and many smaller rides were sold. The original entrance was closed due to subsidence, caused by the mine on which it stood, and a new, less attractive side entrance was put into use. In the time leading up to the park's closure, THG added an area of new bungee trampolines known as Sky Bouncers and a rally car area. In 2005, the area known as Space Port USA was closed to the public, as was the Nightmare Niagra log flume, which was by now deemed unsafe. In a bid to attract new visitors to the park, THG attempted to market the park to a much younger audience, adding a soft play area, mini mine rush and a few other small rides for children. Unfortunately THG's re-adaptation of the park was unable to attract enough visitors, and the park announced on January 4th 2007 that it would not be re-opening for the 2007 season. The park has since been demolished and it's rides sold off, and plans to turn the plot into housing and offices has been given the go ahead by Derbyshire County Council. Main rides and attractions * Twin Looper * The Missile (Closed 2004) * Buffalo Stampede * The Runaway Train * Sky Coaster * Tenessee Tentacles * High Sierra * Yankee Clipper * Balloon Ride * Nightmare Niagra (Closed 2005) * Motion Master (simulator) Small Children's Rides * Mini Mine Rush * Merry Go Round * Junior Clipper * Tonto Canoes * Bronco Buggies * Rascal Rocket * Vintage Cars * Rio Grande * Carousel Other Attractions * Aztec Soft Play Area * JCB World * Mini Golf * 3-D Cinema * MG Rally Experience * Panning For Gold References http://www.theamericanadventure.moonfruit.com/#/welcome/4513664352 https://web.archive.org/web/20050915000000*/http://www.americanadventure.co.uk/ http://american-adventure.webs.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Adventure_Theme_Park